August 2022 Edition of The Christian Recorder

AUGUST 2022

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VOLUME 171, NO. 11

AUGUST 2022

The Hamilton Garrett Music & Arts Academy Celebrates!

Veronika Mykhailo

On June 10, 2022, The Hamilton Garrett Music & Arts Academy celebrated its 20th anniversary and the 100th birth anniversary of one of its namesakes, Ruth Hamilton, a noted Boston vocalist whose history is largely hidden. The Academy hosted a free music concert at the historic Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church in Roxbury, which featured the Hamilton The Reverend Dr. Gregory G. Groover Sr. (HGMA Garrett Youth Choir. See more chairperson) and Gerami Groover-Flores (HGMA executive director). pics on following page. ...continued on p2

Reflections on the 5th Boland Annual Conference Lay Organization Convention (15th District) Henry John Van Rhyn

The 5th Boland Annual Conference Lay Organization Convention was held on the weekend of June 10, 2022, to June 12, 2022, at the Simms Chapel Montagu, under the leadership of their newly elected lay president, Brother Henry John Van Rhyn. One hundred sixty-three lay delegates, presiding elders, and pastors attended this event.

Van Rhyn hails from the town Worcester in the Western Cape in the Boland region. He served most of his young adult and adult life in the lay organization. He served in various leadership capacities at local, district, and conference levels. He presented to the lay his vision: “Lay and clergy working together” as the direction for the lay organization in a post Covid era.

This historic event highlighted the legacy of the late Brother

Theodore Messiah, who served as lay president in the 15th Episcopal district.

To honor the life and legacy of this iconic lay leader, a black-tie event was organized with his wife, family members, and friends of the late Theo.

In addition, Lay persons who served for 25 years or more were honored with the “Theo Messiah Long Service Award.”

The keynote speaker, Brother Pietie Le Roux, delivered an exceptional speech highlighting the late Theodore’s contributions.

In addition, the speaker compared a flight crew on a Boeing airplane and the lessons learned from Theo’s life. Here are some highlights of the speech.

Flight crews will always welcome passengers with a smile. Theo was that welcoming face at our events. He could make new, young, and old members feel at home in the Lay Organization and the church. I am sure Brother Theo was often disappointed in the turnout at Lay meetings and functions, especially during the icy cold winter months. But he did not give up. ...continued on p10

Shorter College Announces Dr. Johnny D. Jones as Dean of Academic and Student Affairs

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants Morris Brown College

Shorter College, the only private two-year Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Arkansas announced that Dr. Johnny D. Jones has been named dean of Academic and Student Affairs. The dean of Academic and Student Affairs at Shorter College is the chief academic officer.

It was January 5, 1881, during the North Georgia Annual Conference at Big Bethel; the Reverend Wesley John Gaines introduced a resolution calling for the establishment in Atlanta of an institution for the moral, spiritual, and intellectual growth of Negro boys and girls. The steps between the resolution and the opening were few and simple: the Georgia Conference was persuaded to join the endeavor. Trustees from both conferences convened at Big Bethel Church and selected a crude wooden structure at the corner of Boulevard and Houston Streets in Atlanta, Georgia, as the school’s home. In May 1885, the state of Georgia granted Morris Brown College of the African Methodist Episcopal

Dr. Johnny D. Jones comes to Shorter College, having been in higher education for nearly three decades. “I am very excited to be joining the Shorter College family,” said Dr. Jones. “I believe Shorter College has a great opportunity to set a regional standard for education and engage in the global competition of higher education.”

“Dr. Jones is the right move at the right time for Shorter College,” says Dr.

...continued on p13

The Frequency and Fear of Mass Shootings Have America On Edge.

When Will They Stop?… p3

The Urgent Need for Evangelism … p7

Mary F. Walton, Contributing Writer

AME Member Elected as International First Vice President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority … p10

...continued on p2

Pittsburgh’s Citadel of Hope (Bethel AMEC) Hosts Juneteenth Day… p12

Taking Golf to the Next Level… p16

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...From Hamilton p1

Gerami Groover-Flores, Hamilton-Garrett Music and Arts executive director, welcoming guests to the 20th Anniversary End of Year Concert. ...From Standing p1

Church a charter.

On October 15, 1885, just 20 years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, 107 students and nine teachers walked into Morris Brown College, marking the opening of the first educational institution in Georgia under African-American patronage. Morris Brown College honors the memory of the second consecrated Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, Bishop Morris Brown.

Morris Brown College was originally founded as a private, coeducational, liberal arts college engaged in teaching, humanities, and public service, with a special focus on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, and technology. The college is proud of its tradition of serving the educational needs of the best and brightest young minds while simultaneously providing educational support to students who might not otherwise receive the opportunity to compete at the college level.

Students fitting the latter are given the tools

The Hamilton-Garrett Youth Choir. L-R: Ajahnee Drayton, Jisley Arias, Michelle Gomez, Liany Cruz, Eliza Deceaneas, Elisa Euceda, and Zion Earl.

they need to increase their potential for earning a college degree. In the years since its founding in 1881, administrations have tried to maintain a competitive, nurturing space where African American students can gain skills needed to be productive, conscious citizens of society. Faced with mounting debt, crumbling infrastructure, and loss of accreditation in 2002, the onceflourishing college lost most of its students. The college never closed but held on by a thread.

Mr. Kevin James was named interim president in early 2019 and, with the efforts of the university’s administration, worked toward accreditation.

On April 13, 2019, Morris Brown College officially received accreditation candidacy by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS), a Virginia-based accreditation agency recognized by the United States Department of Education. Mr. James became the president of Morris Brown College in May 2020. Students will resume in-person classes in Fall 2022. Incoming students will be among

the first to experience the college’s new academic programs, such as hospitality management, global management, applied leadership, and a first-of-itskind esports performance program. Morris Brown will be the only school in Georgia to offer an eSports major.

Morris Brown College received $100,000 from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. as a seed for an endowment for scholarships and other needs to help the school’s sustainability. Dr. Glenda Glover, Alpha Kappa Alpha international president and chief executive officer, said, “Our gift to this historic institution will be used to assist President Kevin James with scholarships, academic support, and programmatic activities that we believe will increase the sustainability of Morris Brown for years to come,” Morris Brown College is guided by its motto: “God Our Father, Christ Our Redeemer, the Holy Spirit Our Comforter, Humankind Our Family.” ❏ ❏ ❏

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The Truth Is The Light Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr., Columnist

Based on biblical text: Romans 12:3, ”For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

As the body of Christ, we stand on the principle of “Love Thy Neighbor.” “Love thy neighbor” is a principle we wear as a banner of affirmation to our Christian way of thinking. However, to love our neighbor, we must learn to tolerate our differences. We are challenged to love our neighbor without liking what he or she represents, does, or thinks.

Despite our differences, there is common ground on which we can all stand. The common ground is treating each other with respect due as human beings. There are certain common decencies we should all be afforded.

A reason we find “loving thy neighbor” difficult could very well be that we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think! It is when we put ourselves on a higher plane than our neighbor, that we fail to acknowledge their basic rights as human beings. As Christians, we need to remind ourselves not to be so high and mighty when it comes to common decency. Paul admonishes us, “Don’t think too highly of yourself.” Later, in his letter to the fledgling church in Rome, Paul challenges, “Do not claim to be wiser than you are” (Romans 12:16).

We can be so puffed up with pride and arrogance

that our vision becomes clouded by our air of superiority. It is then we risk thinking we are better than anyone else. Unfortunately, then we stop listening. Listening is the key to peace.

The truth is, humility goes a long way to resolving differences. A humble person is more inclined to listen to another person and consider another person’s viewpoint. This behavior is a sign of respect. The prophet Amos asked, “Do two walk together unless they have made an appointment?”

(Amos 3:3).

Humility reveals much about us. Humility demonstrates our willingness to put someone else above us. Humility helps us extend the same courtesy to someone we desire.

Jesus taught us, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). As Christians, we

are called to share the gospel and leave judgment to the Lord. We are personally responsible for our own soul’s salvation.

We are commanded to share the gospel with others, understanding the decision is theirs, not ours. That is why Paul told the church at Corinth, “But let a man examine himself” (1 Corinthians 11:28).

We must examine ourselves. Do I think more highly of myself than I ought to? Do I need to come down off my high horse? Is my head in the clouds?

It is a good idea sometimes to ask a friend we can trust to be honest with us. We should not get angry at the answer. Instead, we are challenged to humble ourselves and work to fix it. If we truly desire an effectual relationship with humankind, we need not be so high and mighty.

The Reverend Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr., is the pastor of James Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Charleston, South Carolina.

The Frequency and Fear of Mass Shootings Have America on Edge.

We found gas just recently for $3.99. What a At a parade, seven When Will They Stop? people were killed bargain!

James B. Ewers, Jr., Ed.D., Columnist

Numbers give us a perspective. They don’t lie.

We use them in almost every facet of our lives.

Probably more so today than ever before in our lifetime.

There are some that we gladly accept and others we cast an alarming eye at.

What are numbers telling us about our nation today?

Let’s look and see.

Owning a home is a part of the American dream.

It has always been that way.

Just last year, the interest rates were more manageable. Now, they are climbing and hovering around 6% in some areas.

and forty-six people were injured by a lone gunman.

Again, the numbers matter.

Robert Crimo III, the shooter, now faces seven charges of firstdegree murder.

A number that is disheartening and disappointing to talk about is the number of mass shootings that have occurred during this period.

He was shooting his victims from a rooftop with a high-powered assault rifle. He is twenty-one years of age.

Numbers-wise, Covid-19 has been with us for over two years. It has taken the lives of many of our family members and friends.

A report in the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit, says there have been 314 mass shootings in this nation so far this year.

What kind of vile and vicious thoughts build up in a guy of that tender age? We will probably never know the answer to that question.

According to reports, over one million people have passed away from this deadly illness.

Hate, mental health, copycat, and not valuing life are all reasons why we are seeing these heinous crimes committed.

Now this community outside of Chicago is left to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives.

Since the vaccines, we have seen a significant drop in new cases and deaths.

Do you still wear your mask? We do.

This same report says that more than 22,000 people have died because of gun violence this year.

Pain at the pump has become a commonly used expression.

We have come to a point in our beloved country where we watch where we go.

It is fitting because of the price of a gallon of gas.

Being in a crowded area has now almost become a recipe for instant disaster.

The numbers that glare at us at the filling stations simply make us shake our heads.

It was just a few years ago that we gave a casual wink at the cost. Now our eyes are wide open.

The average cost for a gallon of gas is now $4.69.

Some states are higher as it depends upon where you live.

Parades and outdoor celebrations have become favorite targets for these would-be killers.

R. Thurman Barnes, the assistant director of Rutgers University’s New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center and faculty member at the Rutgers School of Public Health, said, “In a country like ours, we have a lot of guns.”

He added, “And when you have as many guns as we have which we have more guns than people, you’re going to have more gun violence in all of its forms.”

The 4 of July has always been a holiday filled with joyous activities of all kinds.

Sometimes, it seems as if we are waiting for something to happen to us. That cannot be our only course of action.

This 4th of July was tragic and life-ending for some citizens in Highland Park, Illinois.

Stronger gun laws aree a course of action that more Americans want now. ❏ ❏ ❏

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I Am Somebody Rev. Dr. Maxine Thomas, Columnist

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 We are living in a world where corruption and violence, like an untamed beast, stalk the land by day and night. Police officers shoot first and ask questions later when it comes to policing those who are black and brown.

Blacks are killing blacks not only with guns but also by refusing to support black businesses. Drug wars are claiming the lives of our young black brothers.

Babies are having babies. People are raping, robbing, and killing. And the list could go on and on.

And so it is that Satan wants you dead. God would have you know that your real enemy is not a person in the flesh, but it is Satan who, through unclean and manipulative spirits, seeks to destroy our lives. The Bible says that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). There is a spiritual war going on. But I’m so glad that there is a word of hope. For while Satan wants to kill and destroy us, sabotage our visions, and nullify our dreams, Jesus came that we might have life, not only eternal life in the sweet by and by, but life in the right here and now.

My friend, God loves you, and God wants you to live a victorious life. God does not want us to live powerless and defeated lives. You do not have to be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. God does not want you to be filled with anxiety moving in and out of cycles of depression. When you repented of your sins and asked Jesus to come into your heart, you accepted

Jesus by faith. You received eternal life by faith.

God also wants you to accept his abundant life in your daily living.

You are somebody! You may not have the money to eat steak every night, to eat at the finest restaurants, or to lodge at the finest hotels. You may not have been educated at Duke, Yale, or Harvard University. Maybe you are separated, widowed, or still just waiting for Mr. or Miss Right to come along. God wants you to know that you are somebody. He has invested something wonderfully divine in your life. You are created in his divine and holy image. You are his wonderful love creation.

There is nobody quite like you, and nobody can do what God has given you to do quite the way you can do it.

You are a royal child of the king! You are somebody! Beloved, the Prince of Peace lives inside of you. Therefore, you can live at peace with your neighbor and yourself. Whatsoever state you are in, you can learn to be content (Philippians 4:11). The Holy Spirit lives on the inside. You can make it!

Exhale

As I behold the splendor and beauty of a love so divine, without hesitation, I let go of the pain of my past as I embrace peace for today. ❏ ❏ ❏

At Lambeth, Anglican Communion Abandons Vote on Same-Sex Marriage Catherine Pepinster

The prejudice felt by gay people over same-sex marriage is the new racism, according to the head of the Episcopal Church of the United States. In an interview with Religion News Service on Tuesday (Aug. 2), Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, said that in the United States, “the issue of gay people and their rights is equivalent to a struggle in our time to the one over race.” He went on to say all Christians in the United States need to stand in solidarity with gay people over same-sex marriage.

Curry was speaking in the aftermath of a key debate at the Lambeth Conference around the issue of samesex marriage. The conference, meeting for the first time in 14 years, was supposed to be an attempt to bring the Anglican Communion together to pray, listen, and discuss issues that affect the church and the world, such as discipleship, climate change, and poverty. More than 650 bishops registered to attend, including more than 100 from the Episcopal Church.

They represent some 85 million Anglicans worldwide. However, documents produced in advance of the conference, which runs through Monday, had provoked outrage among those belonging to the liberal wing of the church. Those documents

referenced the entire Anglican Communion being wholly opposed to same-sex marriage. The protests forced Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby to amend the statement to recognize that some provinces support same-sex marriage. In response to the amendment, bishops from the Global South announced they would refuse Holy Communion from bishops with gay partners and those who support same-sex marriage.

The point-counterpoint protests over the past week have underscored the growing divisions between the bishops in the West who support gay marriage and those in the Global South who oppose it — and the increasingly tenuous cooperation that Welby, as archbishop of Canterbury, has forged.

Welby wrote to those attending the conference in advance of Tuesday’s discussion, describing same-sex marriage as “this matter on which we are so divided.” And during the debate Tuesday — held behind closed doors, with the media banned — he recognized the predicaments faced by both sides and the intractability of an issue on which everyone views a change of heart as unthinkable, according to a transcript released by the press office. Moreover, Welby acknowledged that, for many present, to alter their position would make them a victim of derision, contempt,

and attack in their countries.

Welby affirmed that the 1998 Lambeth Conference 1.10 resolution, which rejects homosexuality as incompatible with scripture, had not been rescinded.

Even so, he said he would not punish provinces that back same-sex marriage nor seek to discipline or exclude them from Communion. There was no vote on the Human Dignity document, but Welby’s address gained a standing ovation from the Communion and was hailed as drawing out some of the toxicity of the issue. According to Curry: “There was some movement on the willingness of the bishops to respect our differences but at the same time hold fast to our respective convictions. I think that is a healthy thing because for people to be able to stay in relationship with profound differences is a kind of diversity. And we think diversity is a good thing.”

Welby said during his address that those who challenged traditional teaching “have not arrived lightly at their ideas that traditional teaching needs to change. They are not careless about scripture. They do not reject Christ. But they have come to a different view on sexuality after long prayer, deep study, and reflection on understandings of human nature.”

It was an approach Curry welcomed while also stressing that in the United

States, clergy like himself had changed their views on same-sex unions through pastoral encounters with couples who wanted God’s blessing on their relationship and family.

After the closed-door discussion on the Human Dignity paper, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town told journalists there had been “robust discussions and long and sustained prayer. We could sit in a room and listen to a diversity of views and reflect together” — a far cry from the situation before the Lambeth Conference when bishops first received their draft of conference documents, called Lambeth Calls. Those documents included the statement: “It is the mind of the Anglican Communion as a whole that same-gender marriage is not permissible.” The amended statement now notes that while many provinces ban same-gender marriages, other provinces “have blessed and welcomed same-sex union/marriage after careful theological reflection and a process of reception.”

This week’s Lambeth Conference, though, has a very different mood from the last Lambeth Conference 14 years ago. Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York and the second most senior clergyman in the Church of England after the archbishop of Canterbury, ...continued on p5

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The Questions We Must Ask George Pratt, Contributing Writer

When considering the present moment, there are critical questions that are necessary for oppressed peoples to ask and attempt to answer. The present time has revealed that while disenfranchised communities have experienced progress in the United States, populating and receiving acclaim in various industries and sectors, oppressive, unjust, and exploitative systems still pervade the lives of many black, women, indigenous, and queer folks. Sometimes, children and elders as populations and social identifiers in the American consciousness are excluded from mainstream conversations concerning injustice. As unique groups with different interlocking oppressions, they too must be named when calling the role of those who are the least of us living at the margins and fringes of society. As we experience the blows and abrupt shifts that this everyday life brings, accompanied by mass acts of violence from lone gunmen and the state, we must collectively think about our health, spirit, survival, and future.

The reality of today has left masses of people vulnerable in different ways than in the past. While minoritized and subjected groups have always mitigated the terrors of simply existing and safely gathering in their institutions, presently, more people are being forced to rethink their wellbeing. We live in a society where we have become desensitized to the fact that gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and teenagers. In 2022, women in America find themselves negotiating their bodily autonomy and integrity with an androcentric government, being reduced to second-class citizens. It still proves true today; black people are not safe anywhere. Not in our homes, churches, grocery stores, parks, colleges and universities, hospitals, or any location we frequent. Danger is eminent everywhere.

Historically excluded and marginalized people know all too well the plight of struggle that is never ending and is absent of escape. However, this has never prevented us from creatively carving out ways to find and share the

joy and leave room for hope. As agents of hate anticipate and attempt to conjure dark days ahead, we must think seriously and deeply about fostering healthy environments of genuine love and support among each other while resisting the global imperial powers that seek to keep us bound. We must encourage one another to dream beyond current conditions to imagine a world where we know freedom and begin to actualize it. We must begin living out liberation and linking our struggles with others to triumph as the victors of our own salvation. The reality is that we must navigate these waters while being good and gentle to ourselves, handling our bodies with ease and care.

As communities, we must contemplate how we will continue to build familial bonds, forge kinship ties, invest in friends and loved ones, and establish safe spaces where our sources of peace and pleasure are protected. We must live whole, healthy lives, coming to create our own Canaan though it may not flow with milk and honey presently.

George Anthony Pratt currently serves as the parliamentarian for the Connectional Young People’s Divison. He is a member of Saint Paul, Jacksonville in the Eleventh Episcopal District. He attends Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia double majoring in history and religion.

There Is Always Hope-Don’t Give Up Dr. Michael C. Carson, Columnist

“...but God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So then, remember that at one time you gentiles by birth, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by those who are called ‘the circumcision’—a circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:4-6,11-13). ...From At Lambeth p4 recalled the tensions of the last Lambeth Conference over same-sex marriage. “This time, people aren’t threatening to leave. They are threatening to stay,” he told RNS on Wednesday.

For some supporters of gay unions, the lack of a decision in favor of same-sex marriage was a blow.

But Mary Glasspool, an assistant bishop in New York and the first married lesbian bishop in the Anglican Communion, acknowledged there was progress of a kind. “The human dignity call was as good as it could get at this stage. We felt like we were treated as human beings rather than as an issue.

The archbishop of Canterbury had a high-wire act to perform, and he succeeded. He didn’t fall off. I felt he was at his finest in keeping the Communion together, to listen,” she told RNS on Wednesday.

Out of the 42 Anglican provinces, those that have accepted same-sex marriage include the Episcopal Church in the United States; the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil; the Anglican Church of Canada; the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand,

What is a life without hope? It’s a life devoid of expecting that something good is going to happen for you. It is a life with no “pregnant expectations” of a better day coming.

It’s a life of grieving and not feeling adequate enough to compete in life. Living without hope is like a child who cannot look at a situation believing something wonderful is about to happen.

A life without hope is one not excited about facing tomorrow because “tomorrow will be just like today.” Living without hope is believing you

and Polynesia; the Scottish Episcopal Church; and the Church in Wales.

On Wednesday, the 650 bishops attending the Lambeth Conference left its base in Canterbury to travel to London for a day at the archbishop of Canterbury’s London home, Lambeth Palace, to discuss climate change. Welby said, “over the last few years, there is no doubt about the climate emergency for all of us.” And he warned that climate change would lead to food and water shortages, resulting in wars over supplies and causing what he called “a savage downward spiral” that would most affect people in the poorest parts of the planet.

The Lambeth Call paper on the environment highlighted that the Anglican Communion’s churches are involved in every part of the environmental emergency: “We are the people facing devastation in disaster-stricken communities.

We are all the polluters, especially in wealthy countries. We are people living in poverty and on the margins. We wield power and influence.”

...continued on p11

The bishops heard from Kenyan environmental activist Elizabeth Wathuti, who said people in Africa were on the front line of the climate emergency and they are “drowning in empty promises.” She insisted faith leaders could influence politicians to do more.

The Lambeth Call urged Anglican provinces to advocate for the poorest communities suffering the adverse effects of climate change. Welby said the Church of England was aiming to disinvest from companies that are not pushing for carbon dioxide emissions to fall to net zero. He was also highly critical of oil companies such as Shell that have posted record profits when people across the world are facing historic energy price hikes. “Their windfall is causing indescribable hardship for people in the poorest countries and hardship for the poor here (in the U.K.) to have to heat or eat,” he said.

The bishops also watched a tree being planted in the Lambeth Palace Garden to mark the launch of the Communion Forest initiative, with trees planted across Communion provinces. ❏ ❏ ❏

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Reflections on the Massacre of the Buffalo 10 & Racism Antoine M. Thompson

The moment I learned of the shooting at Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York, I was shocked and saddened, which turned to anger and then to disgust. I knew many of the persons killed and even campaigned door to door with Kat Massey and gave her a ride home in my car.

In fact, going to the site of Tops was beyond painful. The massacre of the Buffalo Ten took the lives of innocent people, shattering the lives of their families and the community. The massacre shed a much-needed national spotlight on the severe neglect of the area, far beyond the fact that there was only one major supermarket in the neighborhood–Tops on Jefferson Avenue, located in Buffalo’s Black Belt.

In the late 1990s, as a young 27-year-old activist and community leader, I attended numerous neighborhood meetings and forums about bringing a supermarket to the east side of Buffalo.

For many years, residents tried to start a food coop called “Our Market.” While the plan for the food co-op was unsuccessful, their persistence would lead to Tops opening on historic Jefferson Avenue in 2003.

Jefferson Avenue was once the economic and cultural center of Buffalo’s black community in zip code 14208. According to the United States Census, over 75% of the zip code’s residents are black, with a high concentration of black churches and black-led institutions. As a result, this area is vote-rich for candidates, often providing the

boost needed to elect black candidates to the school board, city council, mayoral office, state legislature, and judgeships. It is not uncommon to see political leaders, clergy, and business leaders shopping or campaigning at the Tops on Jefferson Avenue. In fact, this is the very neighborhood where I launched my political career as a Buffalo council member and New York state senator.

Racism, Redlining Rampant in Buffalo and Around Tops Anyone that googles black and Buffalo will quickly learn that black residents top many of the worst lists for health issues, homes with lead paint, and racial disparities in homeownership and business ownership.

There are only two banks in 14208, despite all the political influence in the neighborhood. As a result, residents struggle to access mortgages to purchase a home, and those that do get approved often get outbid by out-of-town investors and speculators who seek to make residents renters. According to data from Compliance Tech, black homebuyers in Buffalo are twice as likely to be denied a mortgage loan compared to white homebuyers. Housing rehabilitation loans and grants from the public and private sectors are also difficult to obtain, driving residents to surrender their properties in housing court, tax foreclosure sales, or investors. A quick drive or walk down Laurel or Landon, streets adjacent to the Tops on Jefferson, shows the need for an infusion of public and private assistance to help property owners fix roofs, porches, and siding

and perform general upkeep on countless homes. This problem of disinvestment is not unique to black Buffalo; it is a national crisis.

Time to Restore Hope Many black residents in Buffalo have been waiting for Buffalo’s so-called social and economic renaissance to reach areas like 14208. Since 2004, Buffalo’s public and private sectors have invested over $10 billion. Unfortunately, as one of the most politically powerful areas of Buffalo and the state of New York, 14208 is lagging in investment and economic growth. Hopefully, Jefferson Avenue will not be left behind like it was after the riots in 1968 following the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, just as it was back then, many hearts are heavy, spirits are broken, and the community is weary. It is time for leaders to offer a bold vision to restore hope and deliver results that transform lives, families, and communities. In the 1970s, it was the Jefferson Commercial Urban Revitalization Area (CURA); in the 1990s, it was the Jefferson Renaissance. I ask now, “What’s the bold vision this time?”

Antoine M. Thompson is a native of Buffalo, a former NYS state senator (Buffalo, New York), and a former Buffalo city/common council member. He is also a freelance writer and expert in green business, housing, and urban policy.

Love, Service, and Forgiveness: Christian Core Values for Challenging Circumstances Rev. Dr. Jason Curry, Columnist

The mission statement describes the “what” of the organization. The core values of the organization describe the organization’s “how.” For example, the mission statement of a local automobile dealership could be to “provide the best sports cars with the lowest prices.” The core values of the dealership could state that the corporation’s employees value honesty, diversity, and safety.

Challenges or disputes often arise within or between the organization and those it serves when the organization begins to fail at achieving its mission or embracing its core values.

The mission of the church can be expressed in the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:18-20), and Paul and Barnabus were working together to accomplish that mission. The author of the book of Acts stated that Paul and Barnabus agreed to disagree regarding an effective strategy for accomplishing that mission (i.e., encouraging people to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior). Luke writes in Acts 15:39-40 that “Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus; Paul chose Silas and set out.” He further describes their interaction as “sharp”–meaning contentious–in Acts 15:39. Even though Paul and Silas disagreed regarding a strategy, they expressed their love for God and each other by avoiding violence and continuing with the mission. As such, I would submit that the success of the early church in winning souls for Christ grew out of this same understanding and embracing of the church’s mission as well as its core values over personal perspectives.

Love is a Christian core value (see Mathew 22:37-39). Inasmuch as they continued to minister to people and bring others into the Christian fold, they rendered an invaluable service to humanity. Service is a Christian core value (see Mathew 23:11). Theologians have argued that Paul’s statement in Colossians 4:10 is evidence that Paul forgave Mark for his inadequate work ethic. Forgiveness is also a Christian core value (see Matthew 6:14-15). It is safe to say that the modern church would not exist today if members of

the early church relinquished their responsibility of embracing the church’s mission and core values.

For certain challenges among Christians and non-Christians to be effectively resolved, those who know Christ must embrace the church’s core values with renewed faith and energy. Therefore, let us embrace the mission and core values of the church universal and local churches so that we may continue pivoting from surviving to thriving. ❏ ❏ ❏

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The Urgent Need for Evangelism Rev. Dr. Aliston Thomas, Ph.D., MBA, PMP, M. Div.

I often share with the disciples where I serve that “The church does not have a growth, but rather an obedience problem.” You see, Jesus was very clear in Matthew 28:16-20 when he gave the Great Commission. While Matthew 16:18 affirms that not even the gates of Hades will prevail against the church, I believe Jesus is referring to the “organism” (the Holy Spirit), not the “organization” (the denomination or ecclesia). God intends that the organization follow the organism, not the other way around.

Recently, I read an article entitled “The Death of Evangelism: Seven Unacceptable Responses” by Dr. Thom S. Rainer, founder and chief executive officer of Church Answers. This article caught my attention for several reasons. First, while attendance increased at some churches due partly to the pandemic, generally, churches, particularly those belonging to major denominations, are on the decline. This article caught my attention because it challenged conventional thinking regarding the reasons for the lack of evangelism and outreach. In summary, this article asserts that it is not only up to the denomination, pastor, ordained clergy, and Evangelism Committee to spread the good news of Jesus the Christ – as believers, we are all evangelists. Yes, the pastor or spiritual leader sets the tone, but true, effective evangelism is everyone’s responsibility. A third reason this article caught my attention is that it offered hope for revitalization and restoration. While not explicitly stated in this article, it reminded me of the instructions God left us in Acts 2:40-47. We later learn in Acts 4:4, “…those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.”

In essence, the church grew because of their obedience to consistently and fervently practice spiritual disciplines (prayer, studying God’s word led by the Holy Spirit, fasting, meditating, fellowship, sharing, evangelizing, and the like) consistently and fervently. Consistently and fervently practicing spiritual disciplines results in the formation and further development of God, who is love, in us. This inner spiritual formation thus further enables us to love ourselves and others, even our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). Effective, sustained evangelism and church growth require

unconditional love (John 13:34).

Recent events in our society (the Covid-19 pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, the war in Ukraine, mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, Buffalo, New York, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and other tragedies) are a cry for believers in Jesus the Christ to tell an often dark and dying world about a loving and living God who offers peace, joy, and hope. This message of hope is not intended to be preached and taught in the four walls of a building but to all nations.

“Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19 to GO! The command in the scripture is to go and make disciples.

Jesus, himself, came from heaven to earth to reach us, and it is God’s heart that we would do the same.

So not only are we called as the hands and feet of Christ, but we are also called and commissioned to go out and act upon his mission.”

The Rev. Dr. Marcellus Norris Executive Director, Department of Church Growth and Development African Methodist Episcopal Church.

The Rev. Aliston Thomas serves as God’s servant as pastor at Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church in Oxford, Pennsylvania.

Edward Waters, Allen University Attain Full SIAC Membership Steven J. Gaither, HBCU GameDay

Both Allen University and Edward Waters University (EWU) have taken a big step forward in their moves to become full members of Division II athletics and The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has approved both universities’ applications to move to Year Two of their transitions up from the The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to Division II. The Division II Membership Process is a three-

year process in which an institution is required to show the Division II Membership Committee a commitment to the Division II model. Both Allen University and Edward Waters University will move into Year Two of a three-year transition into Division II. Year Two will allow both universities’ varsity sports programs to compete fully at the NCAA Division II level.

Edward Waters University first announced its intentions to move to Division II and the SIAC at its football media day in 2019. Three years later, the changes in the Edward Waters program have not gone lost on players like defensive back

Dartrelle Rolle. “It feels great, to be honest, because when I came, it was an NAIA school and seeing the change from when we got here — seeing the new stadium, coming in the conference — new teams you have to play against,” he said, “It feels really great to be honest.”

Likewise, Allen University linebacker Gary Bourrage said he’s excited to be a part of the SIAC. “It’s an honor to be a part of a great conference, a great HBCU conference,” Bourrage said during SIAC Media Day. “I feel the HBCU football is so amazing. So, I’m just happy to be a part of it.” ❏❏❏

This Supreme Court’s Dangerous Vision of “History and Tradition” I am from Mississippi. We know what the euphemism “history and tradition” means. And we know where it will lead. — White Too Long by Robert P. Jones I am guessing most of you, like me, are reeling from the flood of political news over the last few weeks, including stunning hearings by the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2022, Capitol riot and the tidal wave of decisions by the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS).

This column is a bit longer than usual—a longer form pieced for the long weekend. But it is relevant not just in light of recent news but also as we think about who we are as a nation ahead of

Independence Day. To kick things off today, just a quick reaction to Wednesday’s January 6th House Committee Hearings, which featured Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Her testimony contained startling new revelations, even in light of what we had already learned about former President Trump’s character and personal

conduct over the last five years. We learned that the favored president of the white Christian right: • Declared that Mike Pence, his own vice president, deserved to be hung for ...continued on p8

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fulfilling his constitutional duty.

• Assaulted the head of his presidential Secret Service detail for trying to keep him safe and away from the U.S. Capitol Building during the riot.

• Attempted to have the magnetometers disabled before his speech on January 6th so that the crowds supporting him could bring in weapons.

(Hutchinson testified that she overheard Trump saying, “I don’t f-ing care that they have weapons.

They’re not here to hurt me.”)

• Regularly threw dishes against the wall and overturned tables in the White House dining room when he received news he disliked from his senior staff.

These revelations are disturbing, if not surprising.

But what I want to focus on today is the conservative supermajority on this U.S. Supreme Court, half of whom the former president described above appointed.

In just the last week, SCOTUS has attacked three standards that have stood for nearly half a century. It has taken a hammer to the wall of separation between church and state, allowed a southern state to weaken the voting power of African Americans, and called into question the right to privacy that secured a right to legal abortion (as well as same-sex marriage, access to contraception, and potentially even interracial marriage).

As troubling as these decisions are, there is an even more dangerous common thread connecting them: This Court is systematically erecting a new judicial standard based on an invocation of “history and tradition” rooted in a vision of a mythical 1950s white Christian America.

First, in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, a 6-3 conservative majority voted to side with a public school football coach who held Christian prayers on the field immediately after games. As Religious News Services’ Mark Silk notes, the majority opinion in this case “begins with a lie,” claiming that “petitioner Joseph Kennedy lost his job as a high school football coach in the Bremerton School District after he knelt at midfield after games to offer a quiet personal prayer.” Legal arguments aside, Kennedy’s prayer was neither quiet nor personal. One look at a photograph of the events in question clearly shows a public school football coach (a government employee) leading a very public prayer on the fifty-yard line of the football field (a government-owned facility) while fans are still in the stands and while he and the players are still in their public school provided uniforms.

The disingenuousness of the conservative justices’ description of the facts of the case is bad enough.

But the majority had a larger agenda. It took the opportunity to run roughshod over the “lemon test,” a legal test that has guarded church-state separation since 1971. This longstanding guide held that any government conduct must meet three criteria: 1) It must have a clear secular purpose, 2) It must not have the primary effect of advancing or inhibiting religion, and 3) It must not create an excessive governmental entanglement with religion. In addition to the

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lemon test, the Court also ignored Reagan appointee Sandra Day O’Connor’s 1984 ”endorsement test” that proposed a standard of whether “a reasonable, informed observer” would perceive an act as a government endorsement of religion.

whether they understood it as standing precedent and settled law. Each equivocated, and none had the integrity to declare their clear opposition, which is now laid bare in this ruling. Here is Justice Alito’s flat condemnation of Roe from the recent decision:

Instead, the conservative majority on the Court replaced those previous legal tests with the ambiguous idea that Establishment Clause cases “must be interpreted by ‘reference to historical practices and understandings.’” If public prayers at public schools have long historical precedents, the new logic goes, they deserve less scrutiny.

Stare decisis, the doctrine on which Casey’s controlling opinion was based, does not compel unending adherence to Roe’s abuse of judicial authority. Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences.

If this new test takes hold, it (by design) will unravel 50 years of church-state jurisprudence at both the federal and state levels. By pegging Establishment Clause logic to “historical practices and understandings,” the Court not only allows excessive entanglement of government and religion but—because the dominant religion in the U.S. has historically been Christianity— it simultaneously privileges Christianity over other religions. If the Christian Coach Kennedy had been Hindu Coach Patel, it is highly unlikely that this case would have been filed or even granted certiorari by this Court. Ultimately, the new standard does not protect religious liberty; it privileges Christian religious expressions over others.

Second, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court also allowed a Congressional redistricting map drawn by Louisiana Republicans to remain in place. They took no action on Ardoin v. Robinson, even with the midterm elections on the horizon, despite a lower court’s determination that the Republican scheme likely violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 because the redistricting seems to dilute the voting power of African Americans, specifically.

The black population of Louisiana is 33%, but the new map pushed most African Americans into only one of six districts, essentially reducing their relative representation by half.

This past February, the Court allowed a similar map drawn by Alabama Republicans to stand. The Court has indicated it will revisit these cases in October— after these racist and partisan redistricting schemes govern the outcomes of the 2022 midterm elections.

Finally, the same 6-3 conservative majority voted not just to uphold a Mississippi law that bans virtually all abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy (and has no exceptions for rape or incest), not just to overturn Roe v. Wade, but also to undermine the very idea that a right to privacy exists in the Constitution.

When I published that column, I received pushback about my concerns that this broadside attack on a right to privacy would put protections for samesex marriage, access to contraception, and even potentially interracial marriage at risk. But Justice Thomas, in his concurring opinion, explicitly put each of these rights (with the notable exception of interracial marriage) in the crosshairs, arguing that the Court should reconsider these landmark cases and “correct the error” they represent in his view.

I am also struck by the blatant dishonesty of the recently-appointed conservative justices. Each of them was asked about their stance on Roe and

Had Alito and the other conservative justices had the courage of their convictions at their confirmation hearings, at least some Republican senators like Susan Collins—and the six in ten Americans who oppose overturning Roe—would have thought twice about handing them lifetime appointments to the nation’s highest court.

Beyond the substance of these three rulings, I am deeply troubled by an underlying theme that has received less attention. There is a peculiar and slippery invocation of history and tradition by the conservative justices, which is doing some heaving conceptual lifting. I have already cited the reference to “historical practices and understandings” in the Bremerton case. Here is a similar reference to “the history and tradition” from the Dobbs case: Guided by the history and tradition that map the essential components of the Nation’s concept of ordered liberty, the court finds the Fourteenth Amendment clearly does not protect the right to an abortion. Until the latter part of the 20th Century, there was no support in American Law for a constitutional right to obtain an abortion.

No state constitutional provision had recognized such a right. Until a few years before Roe, no federal or state court had recognized such a right.

Nor had any scholarly treatise. Indeed, abortion had long been a crime in every single State.

This concept of “history and tradition” is an unreliable arbiter of constitutional rights. It begs at least two thorny questions: “Whose history?” and “Which traditions?” The answer to these questions gives content to the concept of “the Nation” evoked here.

History is what we see when we look over our shoulders, always necessarily standing in a particular place. It consists of the stories we tell ourselves to understand who we are. And like all stories, the beginnings are important. The “once upon a time” sets the stage and determines what counts as the “happily ever after.” (This is why the recent battles between 1619 vs. 1776 have been so intense.)

In the Dobbs case, the conservative majority of the Court tells us, fairly explicitly, where they see the anchor of the nation’s history: somewhere before “the latter part of the 20th century.” This vantage point determines the stories (history) and the practices (tradition) that count as normative and warrant the protection of the law.

We have fairly strong evidence from public opinion data indicating more precisely where political conservatives today believe this historical marker should be placed. ...continued on p9

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Weathering The Storm Of Climate Change Dr. Betty Holley, Contributing Writer

Over the last decade, hurricanes have intensified, wildfires have burned stronger, and heat waves have baked our cities. These events can only get worse in the next decades. Unfortunately, most faith communities are not ready for these climate-driven disasters. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its report on April 4, 2022, stating emphatically that the evidence is clear. The climate crisis has arrived!

The IPCC is the United Nations’ body for assessing the science related to climate change, established in 1988 to provide political leaders with periodic scientific assessments concerning climate change, its implications, and risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation strategies. Thousands of people all over the world contribute to the work of the IPCC. The IPCC assessments provide governments, at all levels, all over the world, with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies. They tell us that to prevent the worst effects of climate change on our local and global neighbors, we must make unprecedented changes in the next decade.

Upon reflection on the scriptural passage found in Genesis 6:16-18 and 21, it seems odd that the writer of Genesis chooses to include God’s carpentry measurements in a story with as epic proportions as Noah and the ark. What does it matter that the ark had to be constructed using cypress wood to very precise specifications?

What does it matter that the inside and outside had to be covered with pitch? God in God’s awesomeness needed Noah, his wife, and three sons to “weather the storm.” God in God’s awesomeness needed the two of every kind of animal to be able to “weather the storm.” God, in God’s awesomeness needed the plants to be used to feed Noah’s family and all the animals for an entire year, or whenever the rain stopped, to “weather the storm.”

In the passage, God directed Noah to use cypress wood because this type of wood would not rot and was waterproof. Today, we use cypress wood

The conservative justices, all appointed by Republican presidents, give expression—and legal power—to views widely shared by rank and file Republicans. In PRRI’s 2021 American Values Survey, 70% of Republicans believed that “American culture and way of life has changed for the worse since the 1950s,” a view shared by only 52% of independents and 36% of Democrats. ...From This Supreme p8

This invention of 1950s America as a legal fulcrum in the highest Court in the land should send a chill up our spines. This version of “history and tradition” evokes a falsely idyllic vision of white Christian America, a land that mythically existed before the troubles of racial integration and equal rights for non-white Americas, women’s liberation, LGBTQ equality, the exodus of young people from traditional religious congregations, and dramatic demographic change.

Throughout the Trump years, the phrase “saying the quiet part out loud” has captured the disbelief of many Americans at the normalization of all sorts of bigotry by political leaders. Moreover, the

to build caskets, bridges, stadium seats, railroad ties, ships, and other things that need to be able to weather storms. God directed Noah to cover everything, inside and outside of the ark, with pitch to make sure the ark was waterproof to be able to weather the storm. God may be revealed through this passage that the way we build our structures and the materials used to build them matter, especially with all the floods we are having in this 21st century. In the face of an oncoming flood, Noah and his ark played the role of a shepherd, guiding God’s people and God’s creation through a transformation into a new kind of community. In the transformation, the building of the ark was not an afterthought but integral to the success of the mission.

Without a structurally-sound ark with enough space and facilities for all the creatures, the kind of transformation that occurred through the ark would have been impossible. God needed

everything in the ark to be able to weather the flood to enable the presence of future generations of humankind and other kinds on earth at this very moment. The climate crisis presents disasters that will challenge, threaten, endanger, and transform communities around the world. Yet, churches can become arks of resilience in the face of these disasters, preparing our buildings, like Noah prepared the ark. The physical structure of our buildings indeed matters-always, but especially now.

conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court has just explicitly told us, in published decisions, that their ideal vantage point for evaluating the history and traditions of the United States is 1950s America and that this perspective will replace long-established legal tests and guidelines based on legal principles.

Christians, white over non-white, and straight,

This new legal weapon is likely to proliferate. On Monday, the first business day after the Dobbs ruling, an appeal filed in Alabama picked up this logic, arguing that the state has the authority to outlaw therapies for transgender minors because they are not “deeply rooted in our history or traditions.”

Both the MAGA-driven attacks on the U.S. Capitol that were encouraged by Trump and the radical actions of this Supreme Court are reminders that the unfolding agenda is a nostalgia-fueled gambit to drag the country back to the 1950s, particularly with regard to issues related to religion, race, and gender identity and sexual orientation. As a result, we are seeing in real-time naked attempts to restore the old hierarchies of Christians over non-

We need to become like Noah and his use of pitch, symbolically, spreading the word about the climate crisis inside and out of every place where God’s people gather. We must waterproof everyone and everything we meet and greet to enable people to weather the storm of climate change. Who will you help weather the storm of climate change? ❏ ❏ ❏

cisgender men over all others. This vision is not driven by a commitment to the Constitution and democracy but by an imposition of a vision of the country as a divinely ordained promised land for European Christians.

We must see these developments for what they are: expressions of raw political power by a desperate white Christian minority whose belief in its divine righteousness has unmoored it from its democratic commitments. And we must grasp the danger they represent for everyone else.

I will close with this final thought. As most of you know, I’m from Mississippi. I can’t help but read these discussions through my home state’s history lens. We know what a euphemism like “history and tradition” means. And we know where it will lead. ❏ ❏ ❏

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AME Member Elected as International First Vice President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority At the 70th Boule of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., held in Orlando, Florida from July 10-15, 2022, Ms. Charletta Wilson Jacks was elected to serve as the sorority’s international vice president. She is a graduate of Howard University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts, and Clark Atlanta University, where she received a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Public Policy Analysis and Urban and Regional Planning Administration.

Ms. Wilson Jacks previously held several international appointments, including international secretary for the Sorority, chairman of the International Membership Committee, secretary to the Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Foundation, and secretary to the Alpha Kappa Alpha Housing Foundation, Incorporated. At the regional level, Ms. Wilson Jacks has served as chairman of the South Atlantic Region Leadership Institute. At the chapter level, Ms. Wilson Jacks was chairman of the Membership Intake Process Committee for Lambda Epsilon Omega Chapter. Ms. Wilson Jacks was initiated into the Gamma Upsilon Chapter in 1976 at Savannah State University in Savannah, Georgia. She is currently a member of Lambda Epsilon Omega Chapter in Decatur, Georgia.

Ms. Wilson Jacks spent 21 years as an executive with the city of Atlanta, Georgia and her last position was deputy director of Government Affairs for Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Mrs. Jacks recently retired from the city.

Her previous positions include development principal planner, zoning administrator, and planning director for the city. Her civic affiliations include being a member of the Howard University and Clark Atlanta Alumni Associations, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and Top Ladies of Distinction.

Ms. Wilson Jacks is married to Bernard R. Jacks and is mother to Ricardo Wilson Jacks. Her mother, Dorothy B. Wilson, is also a member of the sorority.

She enjoys traveling, reading, and working with neighborhoods on development issues. She is a member of the St. Phillip African Methodist Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia, where the Reverend Dr. William D. Watley is the pastor. ❏ ❏ ❏

Cameron Seawright Receives Academic Scholarship Award E. Ann Clemons, 9th Episcopal District Reporter

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Foundation awarded Cameron Isaiah Seawright a CBC Spouses Education Scholarship for the 2022-2023 academic year. The scholarship, established in 1988 in response to federal cuts in the education budget, is awarded to college students with high academic and leadership potential.

Cameron attends Benedict College in Columbia, SC. He is a sophomore Business Administration major. He serves as the chair of the Student Advisory Board for the Tyrone Adams Burroughs School of Business. Under ...From Reflections p1 The flight crew members do not focus on only one or two aspects of the flight. Maximum passenger safety, satisfaction, and comfort are their top priorities. Brother Theo was praised by many at his memorial and funeral services for the fact that he had a “high level” view of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in its totality and focused always on the interaction between and complementary nature of the various organizational inputs and programs and how they will give the worshippers and the church at large, the maximum benefit for growth.

The flight crew members share a wide range of information with their passengers, from the welcome and introductory comments to the safety rules, the weather conditions, time of the flight, and emergency procedures. Brother Theo was always eager to update the members of the various Lay Organizations on happenings in the church.

The flight crew knows they must identify people who can show leadership and assist other passengers during emergency situations. More than one generation of leaders in the Lay Organization informed me that they regarded Theo Messiah as their mentor and coach.

the leadership of Benedict’s campus minister, Cameron also serves as president of BASIC (Brothers and Sisters in Christ); in this capacity, he organizes campus religious services and events.

Upon graduation, Cameron plans to manage some of his family’s businesses.

Cameron is the son of Ms. Shari N. Seawright and the grandson of Bishop Harry L. Seawright and Supervisor Sherita Moon Seawright. ❏ ❏ ❏

The flight crew is extremely good at creating brand consciousness. The same with Brother Theo; he was proud to be an AME Church member and very proud to introduce the AME Church to others. From school days, everybody knew that Theo Messiah was an AME. The flight crew is most aware of the vulnerable passengers throughout the flight. But, without fear of contradiction, I can say that the members from rural areas, poor churches, and those burdened under personal and other challenges were always on Theo’s radar.

The flight crew members do not only cater to their passengers’ spiritual well-being during flights. They also feed them during the flight, clean–up afterward, and even sanitize the toilet and other facilities after use. Brother Theo was an outstanding leader with many senior titles, but he remained humble to serve the church and the Lay Organization in any capacity he needed.

Brother Theo maintained a realistic balance between the spiritual and the physical dimensions of human life. That is why he criticized the SA government for its corruption and arrogance.

Submitted by the Rev. Quinton W. Liebenberg, M.Div., pastor, Ebenezer AMEC Ceres

Nevertheless, he carried on the struggle for a South Africa in which the human dignity of all people, including the poorest of the poor, will be respected with dignified and affordable housing, quality education, accessible health care, and a fair legal system that will be so irrespective of color or class.

The flight crew shows their warm human side to passengers throughout the flight. To those who knew him intimately, Brother Theo will agree that he never played the victim game; he never looked for someone to blame.

The flight crew will see the passengers off at the end of the flight after the airplane has safely landed.

They will greet them with a goodbye smile and wish them a pleasant stay till next time.

Our Brother Theo was often the last to leave, the last joke, the last update, the last word, the last laugh. Yet, in the light of the above, we can all agree that Theodore Messiah reflected greatness and profound honor.

The convention closed on a high note, and the Lay members were motivated to work with their assigned minister in advancing God’s kingdom.

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are not worthy of God’s favor. It’s living life feeling unforgiven.

The hopeless life knows no race, socio-economic level, gender, age, religious affiliation, political party, or other demographic. Hopelessness knows no certain time of the day; it is an unwelcomed guest who never wants to leave.

Yes, some life experiences have attempted to silence the voice of our joy and put blinders on the eyes of our hope. But! God, who is rich in mercy, loves us so much that even when the effects of sin would try to destroy us, Jesus redeemed us. God’s

The Christian Recorder grace is so awesome that in the midst of hopeless situations, we can still hope for a breakthrough.

Even though some of our situations in life could be better, we know that in Christ, they are getting better.

Through Jesus Christ, we are encouraged–not compelled, not constrained, to never give up, to never throw in the towel, or to not cave under the weight of what appears to be lacking. Instead, in Christ, we are to continually look at what is there and see what can become. No matter the situation, “It’s not over until God says it’s over!”

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Despite what is or is not going on in your life, remember: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

There is always hope; don’t give up. As the Rev. Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., proclaimed, “Keep the faith, baby!” I’m just saying!

Peace with justice, be blessed real, real good, attend worship (in whatever way possible for you), families matter, and be safe!

Contact Dr. Michael C. refreshingcoach@gmail.com.

Carson

at

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Pittsburgh’s Citadel of Hope (Bethel AMEC) Hosts Juneteenth Day Hollen Barmer and Amber Snyder (ed.)

The Background Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, the 214-year-old Citadel of Hope in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, hosted an ecumenical gathering on June 19 to emphasize the role people of faith must play in reparations as Bethel works to reclaim the land the city stole via eminent domain 65 years ago.

Bethel’s current pastor, the Reverend Dr. Dale B. Snyder, Sr., said education had been a significant part of Bethel’s reparations efforts thus far. Since 2021, Bethel has been partnering with predominantly white churches to educate Christians in Pittsburgh through table talks based on the book Reparations by Duke Kwon and Greg Thompson.

Members of those partner congregations–Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community, St. Andrews Lutheran Church, Sixth Presbyterian, First United Methodist Church, Pittsburgh Friends Meeting, and Sisters of Mercy–were in attendance and helped lead services and sessions throughout the day.

An Honest Reflection of June 19, 2022, at Bethel AMEC On Sunday, the people of God gathered to worship, celebrate, and reflect. “We joined our voices in song, and my almost two-year-old began his career as a pastor’s kid leading the congregation in dancing. I was thankful that over 100 members of predominantly white congregations chose to go outside of their comfort zone to attend worship at Bethel AMEC at 11:00 a.m. and to build a relationship with the people of Bethel,” said the Rev. Erin Jones, pastor of Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community.

A Sermon Bishop E. Earl McCloud, Jr. of the Third District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church preached from the first chapter of Habakkuk. Bishop McCloud drew connections between Habakkuk’s cries of, “How long, oh Lord?” from his post at the watchtower and the systemic evils of white supremacy that manifest in gun violence, voter suppression, and control of women’s bodies by the government.

“If you’re a good watcher, sometimes some of the things you see will make you angry. When you’re a good watcher, you will learn that sometimes you are not able to do something about everything you see. Watching will make you angry, and sometimes you may even cry,” Bishop McCloud told the congregation, concluding with a call not only to pray but also to vote.

Annual Old Bethel Site Visit The annual visit to Old Bethel is an effort to not only reclaim the land but also to seek repair for how the theft of that land continues to affect Bethel’s neighborhood and people today. With a promise from the Pittsburgh Penguins to fund pre-development efforts for vacant and blighted land around the current location, Bethel and the non-profit civil rights organization Color of Change are now negotiating with the Penguins to agree on a dollar amount for that funding. With the theft of the land, the community lost its center for community services, which included reading programs, the Boy Scouts, training programs, and a nurses’ guild. In addition, Bethel is working with the Sisters of Mercy to address the health disparities that plague the community. Together, the churches will establish a telemedicine program to address infant mortality and care for community senior citizens.

Therefore, the afternoon was spent with a bus ride down to the site of Old Bethel, hearing the stories of the Hill and our hopes for its future. We prayed together, a diversity of voices and traditions raised in unity, calling for repentance and repair. Then we returned to Bethel on Webster Ave., where we heard from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and AME bishops about the importance of ecumenical and cross-racial engagement and how our faith calls us to the hard work of reparations.

We ended by hearing an update from Pastor Snyder. “We were encouraged to stand alongside Bethel as they continue to advocate for themselves and to help them find seats at the right tables,” said the Rev. Jones. We know this is only one step in a long flight, and we hope this day gave us enough encouragement and connection for the next few steps together.

View the service on Bethel’s Facebook page: https://fb.watch/dRCyYX65X-/ Contact information: Bethelamepitts@gmail.com Phone 412-683-2160 ❏ ❏ ❏

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Ward Memorial AME Church in Washington, D.C. Celebrates Its Annual Scholarship Sunday William E. Ayers, Jr., Chair, I. A. Miller Scholarship Committee

On Sunday, June 12, 2022, Ward Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church, Washington, District of Columbia, held its Scholarship Sunday. The Rev. Dededrick O. Rivers is the senior pastor. Since 1964, the Isaac Alphonzo (I. A). Miller Scholarship Committee has presented scholarships to outstanding students, and this year was no different. The Committee is proud to announce that four outstanding high school graduates received $1,000 each from the I. A. Miller Scholarship Fund and other generous donations sponsored by members of Ward. Member donations are given in memory of a loved one and/or from members who desire to give back through financial offerings. This year, a dedicated member of Ward gave an anonymous donation of $2,000.

Mr. Nicholas Deve, Jr. plans to major in Sports Medicine and will attend Lake Erie College, Painesville, Ohio.

Josh received a certificate for his academic performance from Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio. Joshua is currently employed full-time at the Charles River Laboratory as a quality assurance technician.

— ANSWERS —

The I. A. Miller Scholarship Committee acknowledged three more graduates:

From p11

Mr. Joshua David Clark: Joshua maintained N T E N T E R 12 N N C E V N C E R K I N A H

E X 2 WO R S H I P S N D E N T 4

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REV.DR.JAMES E. DEAS,SR.

Dr. Jones is a lifetime learner, receiving his second doctoral degree from Jackson State University in Education Administration and Supervision in 2013. His first doctoral degree comes from Berne University, receiving an educational doctorate in

Dr. Jones served as tenured associate professor/ graduate coordinator, associate vice president of Academic Affairs/Dean, vice president for Student Affairs and Diversity at Mississippi Valley State University, dean of Academic and Student Affairs at Georgia Piedmont Technical College, president of Little Priest Tribal College, executive vice president, and chief academic officer at Arkansas Baptist College. He also has served as assistant dean of the Graduate School at the University of Arkansas.

E V E R Y W H E R E

His most recent position was at Wilberforce University (Ohio), serving as the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. Dr. Jones is known in the academic field for his belief in restructuring leadership and retention activities within Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Dr. Jones is a published author. His 2020 book, published

by Emerald Publishing Group, Leadership of Historically Black Colleges and Universities: A What Not to Do Guide for HBCU Leaders (Great Debates in Higher Education), focuses on the strategies to assist HBCUs in not falling prey to loss of funding or accreditation. He continues to send this message through his podcast, “Rethinking Leadership in HBCUs,” also published by Emerald Publishing Group. Dr. Jones made Arkansas history in 2007 by creating the first African American Community Leadership academic program, linked directly to community services and urban community leadership in the African American community at Arkansas Baptist College.

Education Leadership and Policy. He began his educational journey at Mississippi Valley State University, receiving his bachelor of science in health, physical education, recreation, and dance. He then attained his master of education from Springfield College with an emphasis on recreation and tourism.

He has the following certifications: Teacher/ Administration Certification-Class AAAA, state of Mississippi; courses in educational leadership and policy, Idaho State University; Lean Six Sigma-Yellow Belt Certification, Riverwood Associates; Food System Leadership Institute, North Carolina State University and The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU); Lilly Family School of Philanthropy-Fund Raising, Indiana University Indianapolis; Mississippi Leadership Institute, Congressman Bennie Thompson and One Voice; Management Development Program, Harvard University.

R I T

O. Jerome Green, president of Shorter College. President Green says that the decision to bring Dr. Jones aboard is a part of his plan to move the college into the 21st Century with innovation and strategies.

...From Shorter p1

Our God

Ms. Erica Lowery plans to major in Biology at Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee.

The Committee is very appreciative of the Ward Church family. Through collective efforts, the Committee continues the work to support Ward’s youth through this phase of life. ❏ ❏ ❏

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Mr. Logan Harris plans to major in Chemistry (Pre-Dental) at George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia.

Mr. Andrew Chelsey and Mr. Antwan Chesley, twin brothers, received certificates for being on the Elementary School Honor Roll at Maya Angelo French Immersion School in Temple Hills, Maryland.

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Ms. Tiffany Logan plans to major in Electronic Media and Film at Towson University, Baltimore, Maryland.

D E P 6 E S ’ 7 O S H A V E D E 11 O R Y P O E N I P R E S G M N I P O T T 17 L Y _ S P I N C E S P U F F I C I R N I S C I E D

The four students who graduated with high honors

a 3.7 GPA and was a Dean’s List honoree.

M O S I 8 N S 9 WO R D 10 G L O 13 O M D 14 O 15 S 16 H O O 18 G R A T 19 S 20 L 21 O M V E

The Rev. Christian Darlene Belton, youth advisor at Ward, presided during Scholarship Sunday and delivered an inspiring message entitled, “My Name Is Victory.” During the message, the Rev. Belton spoke about personal college days, receiving scholarships based on academic achievements, and earning a “full ride” to college.

The Rev. Belton challenged the students by letting them know that this was just the beginning and that great expectations are eminent.

from the 12th grade are:

In addition, Dr. Jones was a faculty member at Washington State University and served as director of Recruitment and Retention for the WSU College of Education-Future Teachers of Color Program. He has also served as a K-12 administrator at multiple schools.

About Shorter College Shorter College is the only private, historically black college in the country. Since re-opening its doors in 2012, Shorter College has experienced exponential growth in its degree plans and certifications. Shorter College has six associate degree programs, certifications in computer sciences, and a strong internship program with a network of over 30 companies.

For further information, call Mary Gayden at 501-374-6305.

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No Stone Is Left Unturned in Welcoming New Bishop to the Philadelphia Annual Conference Sister Angelena Spears, Philadelphia Conference Reporter

It was evident from day one of the 206th Philadelphia Annual Conference that a “spirit of excellence” was in place to welcome the First District’s new Episcopal team – Bishop Julius H. McAllister, Sr. and Mother Marla McAllister.

The conference, held May 24 - 29, was the first in-person gathering for the conference since the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. It was also the first time many members had the opportunity to meet the new bishop and supervisor in person.

Throughout the week, participants applauded the host presiding elder, the Rev. Dr. Janet J. Sturdivant, and the 17 churches that make up the South District for “leaving no stone unturned” in preparation for the week’s activities and services.

Pre-conference activities began on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, with a Women in Ministry (WIM) service. The preacher for the service was the Rev. Alberta Jones, pastor of Bethel AME-Reading, who brought a stirring message titled: “Tell Egypt I’m Not Coming Back,” based on Philippians 3:3-14 and Exodus 14:10-15.

The week was punctuated with powerful worship services led by the following organizations: Tuesday evening, the Ministry of Evangelism; Wednesday morning, the Women’s Missionary Society; Thursday night, the Lay Organization; Friday night, the Department of Christian Education; and Saturday night, the Sons of Allen.

The conference’s official opening began on Thursday at 8 a.m. with the roll call. Then, the conference invited every church’s pastor to present a 90-second overview of their annual report between Thursday and Friday.

Two bishops (Sons of the First District) joined Bishop McAllister on the opening day–Bishop Jeffrey Nathaniel Leath (ecumenical officer) and retired Bishop Richard Franklin Norris, Sr. They each greeted the conference with words of encouragement. Also present were the Rev. Dr. Miriam J. Burnett,

for historiographer for the AME Church. Dr. Tyler was asked to step in and preach when it was learned that the chosen pastor had taken ill.

Dr. Tyler’s message asked, “Is it worth it?” He pointed to a poll where a large number of pastors had

AMEC, Frankford. The Rev. Julius H. McAllister, Jr., preached the Service of Ordination on Saturday afternoon. He is the pastor of Bethel AMEC, Tallahassee, Florida, and also a candidate for the episcopacy and the son of Bishop McAllister.

Candidates ordained as itinerant elders were: the Rev. Angela Baker, Ward Emmanuel AMECPhiladelphia; the Rev. Kyle Thomas, pastor of Thornbury AMEC; the Rev. Michael McMullen, pastor of St. John AMEC-Lebanon; and the Rev. Derrick Brown, pastor of St. Peters AMEC-Shippensburg.

During the memorial service, the conference commemorated notable losses in our Zion. On the Connectional level, retired Bishop William Phillips DeVeaux, Sr. (December 2021); retired Episcopal

Dr. Mark Tyler, pastor of Mother Bethel AMEC Philadelphia, preaches the Annual Sermon.

Episcopal supervisor of the 18th District, and the International Health Commission medical director.

The week’s initial services were held at the newly renovated Delta Airport Hotel in Philadelphia. The last two days of the conference were held at St. Matthews AMEC, Philadelphia, where the Rev. Vernon R. Byrd, Esq. is the pastor and a candidate for Episcopal honors in 2024. Component leaders and the conference’s four presiding elders: Elder Janet J. Sturdivant, the South District; Elder Charles H. Lett, Sr., the West (Mainline) District; Elder Lawrence C. Henryhand, the Harrisburg District; and Elder Stanley G. Smith, the Philadelphia District showered the bishop and Episcopal supervisor with well wishes. The food was succulent, and the tables were adorned meticulously

by Sister Audrey Nock of Metropolitan AMEC, Lansdowne – the presentation was fit for a king and queen.

At the close of the reception, Elder Sturdivant and the South District presented Bishop and Mother McAllister with a beautiful video tribute that included pictures of their family and friends in ministry. The Rev. Lisa Williams, the pastor of Bethel AMEC, Setauket, New York expertly arranged the video.

Elder Sturdivant contributed the music–“If Anyone Should Ever Tell My Life’s Story,” by Gladys Knight, and “To God Be the Glory,” and Sisters Cheryl Hammond Hopewell and Angelena Spears were credited with the research. The video was beautiful and well-received by Bishop and Mother McAllister, who expressed their appreciation.

The hour of power sermon on Thursday, considered the annual conference sermon, was preached

by the Rev. Dr. Mark Kelly Tyler, the pastor of Mother Bethel AMEC, Philadelphia, and a candidate

reported that they were on the brink of leaving the ministry. Dr. Tyler said the response from mainline denominations revealed that during the past year, up to 50 percent of clergy from mainline denominations had considered giving up their professions – often due to stress.

Dr. Tyler encouraged both clergy and lay leaders by giving reasons that ministry is worth it. He concluded his example with that of Jesus at Gethsemane, praying in advance of his pending crucifixion. “When Jesus asked the question, ‘Is it worth it?’ his answer was ‘Yes!’” declared Dr. Tyler.

Saturday morning began with a retirement service at St. Matthew AMEC. The four superannuated pastors are the Reverends Eugene V. McDuffy, Allen AMEC, Philadelphia; Dr. H. Holland Fields, St. Paul AMEC, Malvern; Dr. Katherine E. Rose, Bethel AMEC, York; and Dr. Theresa H. Dent Smith, Campbell

supervisor Stan McKenzie (July 2021); retired Supervisor Lucinda Crawford Belin (September 2021); and General Officers Judge Patricia Mayberry and Dr. Jamye Coleman Williams.

Those from the Philadelphia Annual Conference included: the Rev. Donald Burems, Sr., pastor of St. John AMEC, Philadelphia; the Rev. Charles Wood (retired); the Rev. Pleasant Hailey (retired); the Rev. Jerome Thomas (retired); the Rev. Betty Jean Alexander-Thornbury AMEC, who had been ordained in December as a local deacon; and Brother Kelvin Guyton, a student in the class of second-year studies.

Sunday began with the conference church school under the leadership of Sister Victoria Hill, the Philadelphia conference church school superintendent, and was followed by the closing and commissioning service. The Rev. Dr. Erika D. Crawford, ...continued on p15

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the pastor of Ebenezer AMEC, Rahway, New Jersey, president of the Connectional Women in Ministry, and also a candidate for the episcopacy, preached the closing sermon. Her topic was “From Almost to Alright,” based on Luke 5:1-11. She declared, “God knows just when to step in so that our ‘almost’ turns to ‘all good.’’ She said that just as Jesus changed the trajectory of the fishermen in the Bible text – he can change the trajectory of our ministry.

...From No Stone p14

The consensus for the week was that the 206th Session of the Philadelphia Annual Conference would go down in the history books as one of the best. “Under the leadership of our new Episcopal team, we are looking forward to reaching new heights, and we are ready for the ride,” said Bishop Julius McAllister, Sr., and Episcopal Supervisor Joan Marla McAllister are welcomed to First District.

Presiding Elder Sturdivant. ❏❏❏

The Rev. Michael Sturdivant Presiding Elder Janet J. Sturdivant and consultant, the Rev. Michael Sturdivant enjoy the bishop’s reception.

Allen University Announces Lisa Long, J.D. as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Allen University welcomes Dr. Lisa Long as the new provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. Most recently, she served as acting president at Talladega College in Alabama and asits chief academic officer. Dr. Long is a proven leader with a distinguished educational career and background. In addition to her academic leadership, Dr. Long brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in human resources, strategic planning, marketing, and budget development. Her involvement and expertise in accreditation led to her election to the Commission/Board of Trustees of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges.

Dr. Long’s accomplishments at Talladega included launching its first graduate program, an M.A. in History, recruiting and maintaining a strong faculty, and cultivating the largest single donation of $2.5 million. Her rise at the institution was progressive, having successful posts as department chair, dean, provost, and acting president. According to President Ernest McNealey, “Dr. Long’s experience, talent, collaborative style of engaging, active listening, and abiding respect for shared governance made her the perfect addition to the leadership team at Allen.”

Contact: Tiana Scarlett • Director of Marketing and Communications • Tscarlett@allenuniversity.edu • (803) 605-7524 (c) • (803) 376-5717 (w) Allen University is a private Historically Black College/University (HBCU) and a leading liberal arts institution dedicated to shaping scholars into innovative thinkers, impactful workers, and community change agents. Located in Columbia, SC, Allen University is the only HBCU in the state with a seminary, universal e-books, and an all-Apple technology environment.

Independence, Interdependence, and Ending Hunger Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith

“Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 In 1852, Frederick Douglass, a leader in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and a Republican abolitionist, was invited to give a July Fourth speech. His address, “What, to the Slave, Is the Fourth of July?” acknowledges the successes of the young democracy that became independent from England. It also offered a courageous challenge to the institution of slavery. The summation below reflects this sentiment: “I do not despair of this country …. The arm of the Lord is not shortened, and the doom of slavery is certain. I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope. While drawing encouragement from the Declaration of Independence, the great principles it contains, and the genius of American Institutions, my spirit is also cheered by the obvious tendencies of the age.”

Indeed the “doom of slavery” did come in 1863 and 1865 with the signing of the executive order of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the successive law in 1865. Douglass’ speech became

another catalyst for increased advocacy to end the policy of slavery in the United States.

Today, we celebrate Independence Day twice as federal holidays in the United States: July 4 and Juneteenth, June 19, which became a national holiday in 2021. But sadly, the historical contexts of 1776, 1852, 1865, and 2021 did and still do reflect the pain of disproportionate hunger and poverty among people of African descent in the U.S. and Africa. Associate Professor Angela Odoms-Young of Northern Illinois University captures this history: “It really is not surprising when you consider the drivers of food insecurity: Income, employment. It’s also an accumulation of disadvantages that happens. I don’t think people always recognize that accumulation— how disadvantages can accumulate over generations and cause those disparities in wealth.”

Independence matters, but so does interdependence when addressing the drivers of food insecurity, to which Dr. Odoms-Young speaks. The independence of any people and the governance that follows should build interdependence among the people.

Interdependence is a biblical concept that undergirds a spirit for collaboration to end challenges like hunger.

In the case of PanAfrican communities, interdependence invites the recognition of historical and present-day inequities that prevent access to nutritious food and lands to grow nutritious food but also invites collective action.

People of faith are called to create and lead communities of interdependence and collaboration, which is a value of Bread for the World. Advocacy to end hunger is one of the ways to recognize our interdependence and each other. Bread for the World believes there is enough for all. Please join us in advocating together at www.bread.org.

Angelique Walker-Smith is a senior associate for Pan African and Orthodox Church engagement at Bread for the World.

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CONNECTIONALNEWS

Taking Golf to the Next Level A groundbreaking agreement between the nation’s first private Historically Black College/University (HBCU) and The Ohio State University will be formally put in place Tuesday, June 28, 2022, on the campus of Wilberforce University.

Wilberforce’s 22nd president, Dr. Elfred Anthony Pinkard, will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with The Ohio State University to create a partnership in turfgrass education for Wilberforce students.

Beginning in the fall semester of this year, Ohio State University will offer online non-credit certificates to Wilberforce University students through Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. The courses include advanced golf course management, history of golf courses, and sports turf management. Wilberforce can accept the completed certificate course for the students’ credit.

Wilberforce University, founded in 1856, is the nation’s first private, Historically Black College/University. Located in Greene County, Ohio, near Dayton, Wilberforce is a member of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), the NAIA, and the Ohio Link Library Consortium.

According to HBCU.com, Wilberforce University is one of the top five HBCUs in the midwest.

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AUGUST 2022

CONGRATULATORY Announcements

JULY 2022

*Purple font connotes Episcopal Family; Red font, General Officers; and Blue font, Connectional Officers.

Bishop Philip And Supervisor Cousin Were Both Awarded The Americorps President’s Volunteer Service Lifetime Achievement Award From The White House.

Bishop Philip and Episcopal Supervisor Dr. M. Joan Cousin were each awarded the AmeriCorps President’s Volunteer Service Lifetime Achievement Award. This special recognition from the White House is given to persons with over 4,000 or more hours of community service verified by a sponsoring organization. Bishop and Supervisor Cousin have a distinguished record of working with faith-based and community organizations during their active ministry and their retirement.

Congratulatory messages can be sent to: Bishop Philip and Episcopal Supervisor Dr. M. Joan Cousin: prc7696@aol.com.

Episcopal Supervisor Retired Dr. M. Joan Cousin Celebrates Her 90th Birthday.

Dr. M. Joan Cousin has dedicated her time and talent to a crusade against HIV and AIDS. She has successfully established centers impacting this

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critical health area around the world. She was cited

by President Bush for AIDS Education and the Center for Disease Control and the Congressional Records of the United States for her consistent commitment to HIV/AIDS education.

As the spouse of African Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Philip R. Cousin, she has remained methodical in programmatic efforts to empower lives.

Her desire for women to tell their life experiences for future generations inspired the book, How I Got Over, edited by Dr. Bettye J. Allen and Dr. Trevy A. McDonald, which is a collection of stories that are testimonies of faith, hope, courage, and love.

She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Board member of the Balm in Gilead, National Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, and life member of the NAACP. She is the 2012 recipient of the Bishop’s Humanitarian Award and of the 2022 AmeriCorps President’s Volunteer Service Lifetime Achievement

Award received from the White House for over 4,000 or more hours of community service.

She and her husband are the proud parents of five sons who are pastors in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Philip, Jr., Steven, David, Michael, and Joseph. They have 2 granddaughters, twelve grandsons, and a host of great grands.

Happy birthday wishes can be forwarded to: prc7696@aol.com.

The Reverend Carolyn C. Cavaness Has Been Selected as One of City & State’s PA Forty Under 40.

The Rev. Carolyn C. Cavaness, pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Ardmore, Pennsylvania is honored to have been selected on @cityandstatepa’s PA Forty Under 40 List.

The full issue can be viewed here: https://online. fliphtml5.com/bundy/rsma/#p=1. Congratulatory expressions can be emailed to: cccphilly@gmail. com.

On behalf of Publications Commission chair Bishop David Rwhynica Daniels, Jr., president/publisher of the AMEC Publishing House (Sunday School Union) the Rev. Dr. Roderick D. Belin, and editor of The Christian Recorder Mr. John Thomas III, we celebrate and applaud your achievements.

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NRSV) To share or receive information about Connectional clergy family bereavements and congratulations, please contact the AME Church Clergy Family Information Center. Mrs. Ora L. Easley, administrator • 5981 Hitching Post Lane • Nashville, TN 37211 • 615.833.6936 (CFIC Office) • amecfic. org • facebook.com/AMECFIC ❏ ❏ ❏

NECROLOGY Listings

JULY 2022

*Purple font connotes Episcopal Family; Red font, General Officers; and Blue font, Connectional Officers.

Ms. Alexandria Marie Jacobs, the beloved daughter of the Rev. Bobby L. Jacobs, retired pastor whose last appointment was Mt. Moriah, Wildwood, Florida, Eleventh Episcopal District Mr. Ervin Thomas, Jr., 78, the brother of the Rev. Linda Thomas-Martin, presiding elder, South Memphis District, West Tennessee Conference, Thirteenth Episcopal District; a retired educator, husband, father, and grandfather, and served as a steward, trustee, treasurer, choir member, among others at St. John AMEC in Memphis Mr. Isaac Edward Caise, the brother of the Rev. Revonda

Bright, pastor of Saint James African Methodist Episcopal Church, Cynthiana, Kentucky, Thirthteenth Episcopal District The Reverend Brenda I. McClain of the Washington Conference, Second Episcopal District, African Methodist Episcopal Church Mr. Eugene Johnson, Sr., age 69, the father of the Rev. Eugene A. Johnson, Jr., pastor of Person Chapel AME Church, Midway, Alabama, in the Northeast Alabama Conference of the Ninth Episcopal District The Reverend Harold D. Sidbury, Sr., age 81, husband,

father, grandfather, and great grandfather, a superannuated pastor of the North Carolina Annual Conference of the Second Episcopal District who was faithful to his pastoral charges until his retirement Retired Presiding Elder Leo E. Brock, Sr., of Montgomery, Alabama, the husband of Mrs. Susie Brock and a member of St. John’s AME Church in Montgomery, Alabama, in the Alabama River Region Conference of the Ninth Episcopal District Mr. Richard Herndon, the brother of the Rev. Dr. J. Wayne Rogers, pastor of Bethel AME Church Hope, Arkansas, Twelfth Episcopal District

Mr. William Thornton, age 69, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, the brother of the Rev. Laurel Thornton, itinerant elder, and associate minister of St. John AME Church, in Birmingham, Alabama, in the Northwest Alabama Conference of the Ninth Episcopal District Mrs. Quintine “Queen” Hayes Brenson, the widow of the late Rev. V.L. Brenson - a long time pastor in the Fifth Episcopal District who served Bryant Temple AME Church for over 30 years, and the grandmother of the Rev. Theodore Payne IV, pastor of Ebenezer AME Church, Bremerton, WA, Fifth Episcopal District ...continued on p20

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EDITORIAL

Do Not Increase Your Storage Mr. Byron Washington, Columnist

“A time to seek and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to throw away” – Ecclesiastes 3:6 I received an email stating that the storage limit for my email had been reached. I would be unable to receive messages due to being at capacity.

The company did not encourage me to delete emails; however, the message read, “...to prevent interruption in service, get more storage.”

The company made it sound enticing and noted that more storage was not much. Consider this, however; if all their users pay $2 per month for extra storage, imagine how much money they make. The company has over 1 billion active users utilizing its email platform. The company making a lot of money is not the main reason I did not buy the extra storage. But one reason is that we should not be so quick to increase our storage because it costs us. Yes, it is only $2 a month,

so $24 a year. Another is that this email prompted consideration that we often tolerate people, situations, and circumstances, increasing our capacity for stress and aggravation instead of reducing those things in our life.

On a recent podcast, one speaker said, “‘Yes,’ is expensive.” By saying yes, I want to buy more storage, I am actively participating in agreeing to carry more junk and unnecessary things. By saying yes to more storage, I am agreeing to waste more time searching for an email because I have retained emails I should have dismissed. Increasing storage in your life without a valid reason will cost you more than you can imagine.

In addition, when we unnecessarily

increase storage in our life, we become vulnerable to being undisciplined.

Let me give you an example. My family moves from country to country quite often due to work.

Whenever we get ready to move, we have to sort through what needs to be shipped to the new location and what needs to be disregarded or given away. This process takes time on the front end but reduces stress when unpacking in the new location. Many of our colleagues say, “I will pack it all and sort it out when I get to the new location.” We all know what happens - they never sort it, and years later, they are still traveling around the world with boxes of baby clothes, and their kids are now teenagers because they refuse to stop adding capacity.

My brothers and sisters, July is the midpoint of the year. What do you need to disregard as you head into the last part of 2022? Increasing your capacity is not a bad thing. However, the reason needs to be correct.

Increasing storage because we do not want to sort through the clutter of

Byron Washington Guest Editorial

our lives will ultimately cost us and is a sign that we need to focus on our discipline.

I never paid to increase my email capacity. Instead, I sat down and spent a long time deleting old emails and advertisements and removing myself from mailing lists. It took some time, but I felt good, and my email was less cluttered. Do not increase your storage when you can reduce unnecessary things to make room for what you need. ❏ ❏ ❏

Transition Dr. Barbara J. Chappelle, a native of Miami, Florida, and the eldest of nine children, was the wife of the 108th elected and consecrated ted bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Dr. Richard Allen Chappelle, Sr. She was also the mother of Kristen Nicole and the grandmother of Micah Jeremiah and Travis Richard.

Dr. Chappelle taught school for 30 years (English, Spanish and Special Education) in Florida and Missouri after matriculating at Morris Brown College, Atlanta, Georgia, and Stetson University in Deland. She came out of retirement to teach without compensation at Shorter College, North Little Rock, Arkansas. Affiliations included the World Methodist Council; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); the Little Rock Chapter, National Urban League; National Council of Negro Women (NCNW); National Association of University Women; life member, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; life member, Women’s Missionary Society; and Gleaner Star Chapter #338 Order of the Eastern Star, P.H.A., Arkansas Jurisdiction.

ove Kenya, Europe, South America, and Asia. Her greatest love men was educating, teaching, and empowering young women and men through the YPD and WMS. assisting clergy families and students establishing programs to assist persons in every Episcopal district she served in.

Dr. Chappelle was a world traveler having lived in Southern Africa and toured

Following the election of her husband, Bishop Richard Allen Chappelle, in 1988, she served as Episcopal supervisor in the 17th (1988-1992), 18th (1992-1996), 8th (1996-2000), and 12th (2000-2008) Episcopal districts. She was known for her particular devotion to

Brother Duane L. Calloway, the brother of the Rev. Dr. Kelvin T. Calloway, dean of the Southern California Annual Conference & pastor of Bethel AMEC (Los Angeles), Fifth Episcopal District; Duane was a licensed mortician in North Carolina, Maryland, & Virginia, a member of the Steward Board and the Men’s Ministry at Faith AME Church, Laurel, MD

Brother James Edward Mitchell, husband of the Rev. Dr. Esther J. Mitchell, founder of the J.W. James AME Church-Maywood, IL; father of current pastor, the Rev. Garry S. Mitchell (the Rev. Tamar), and the Rev. Dawn C. Mitchell Parker of Emmanuel Temple AME Church (the Rev. James Parker, III), and Dr. James W. Mitchell (Rhonda)

Brother Redrick Gainous, the father of the Rev. Titus (Nanette) Gainous, pastor of Mt. Pleasant A.M.E. Church, Lakeland, FL, Eleventh Episcopal District, and the grandfather of Raven Gainous (1st vice president of the White-Fishburn area WMS) and Nicole.

...From The Necrology p17

Sister Stephanie Bender, a graduate of Morris Brown College, employed with Piedmont Hospital as a chemist, a member of Nichols Chapel AME Church, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and president of the Women’s Missionary Society of the Northeast Alabama Conference, Ninth Episcopal District

Dr. Chappelle died on Sunday, July 31, 2022. She is survived by her daughter and grandchildren. ❏ ❏ ❏

Condolences to the bereaved are expressed on behalf of Publications Commission chair Bishop David R. Daniels, Jr., president/publisher of the AMEC Publishing House (Sunday School Union) the Rev. Dr. Roderick D. Belin, and editor of The Christian Recorder, Mr. John Thomas III. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 (NRSV)

To share or receive information about Connectional clergy family bereavements and congratulations, please contact the AME Church Clergy Family Information Center.

Mrs. Ora L. Easley, administrator • 5981 Hitching Post Lane • Nashville, TN 37211 • 615.833.6936 (CFIC Office) • amecfic.org •facebook.com/AMECFIC ❏ ❏ ❏